It is
extremely difficult to believe, but it appears that the State of
Florida will order a young woman to be slowly starved to death. I'm
referring to Terri Schiavo, of course.

Most of
my readers are probably somewhat, if not thoroughly, familiar with the
Terri Schiavo story. Terri was left severely brain damaged back in
1990. Although the media seems to have no curiosity at all regarding
the mysterious circumstances of Terri's condition, this is part of the
story which should be further examined. I attempted to broach this
topic on CNN's Anderson Cooper television program to no avail.

The
mysterious circumstances of Terri's condition aside, the fact is, there
is a young woman in Florida who suffers from brain damage whom courts
have determined is not fit to live and will soon starve to death.

Terri's
potential starvation is being authorized in spite of the fact that she
has loving parents and friends who are more than willing to love and
care for her for the rest of her life. However, Terri's husband, a man
who has yet to be required to answer hardly any trenchant questions
regarding his actions on Terri's behalf, is pushing the courts to allow
Terri to starve.

As
Terri's "legal guardian," husband Michael has already squandered over
$1 million dollars which the courts awarded him for Terri's medical
care and treatment. Furthermore, Michael has lived in an adulterous
relationship from the "get go" of this whole sordid episode.

Michael
maintains that his efforts are motivated only by his desire to fulfill
Terri's wish that she be allowed to die. Of course, he has no proof
whatsoever that Terri ever stated such an intention. What no one seems
willing to ask is, "If Michael's only motivation is to honor his wife's
wishes, why did he decide to cheat on Terri and have an affair with
another woman? Was he honoring Terri's wishes when he was fornicating
behind her back?"

Since
Michael didn't seem to care about Terri's wishes when he decided to
commit adultery, why should anyone believe him when he says he is only
honoring her wish to let her starve to death? Get real!

The
fact is, Terri Shiavo is not in a coma; she is not brain dead; she is
not on life support; she is not in a "persistent vegetative state."
Terri is able to laugh, cry, and attempts to communicate. According to
her parents, she is able to say "Mom" or "Dad" and even respond to yes
or no questions. She still knows her parents and is able to display
expressions of affection toward them.

I would
dare say that most of us are personally acquainted with people who are
dependent on feeding tubes and yet have strong, loving relationships
and meaningful lives. Is it now the state's prerogative to determine
the worth and value of people's lives? And if so, is not the state then
playing God?

I
suppose the sad reality of the situation is that the state has been
playing God since January 22, 1973 when abortion on demand was
legalized in this country. Since then, the state has given mothers and
physicians the authority to determine the worth and value of unborn
babies and the delegated power to terminate the lives of those they
deem unfit or unwanted. It now appears that legal guardians and doctors
will be given the same authority over people's lives in matters
relating to euthanasia. But where will it end? The answer is, it won't
end.

Once a
precedent is established into law, judges and elected politicians tend
to defend and support that precedent, no matter how Draconian or
egregious it might be. As such, the Terri Schiavo case portends an
ominous future for America. If Michael Schiavo is allowed to kill his
brain damaged wife, the doors of state sponsored euthanasia will swing
wide open.

Furthermore,
can anyone think of a more inhumane way to die than starvation? If
Michael Schiavo tried to starve his dog to death, he would be arrested
and thrown in jail! However, the same court system that protects
animals from cruelty, is about to grant Michael the power to cruelly
starve his own wife to death!

In
addition, if Michael Schiavo had any feelings or compassion whatsoever,
he would divorce himself from Terri and turn guardianship over to her
parents. That he doesn't suggests he possesses deep, ulterior motives
and the hardest of hearts!

One
more thing: where are the church leaders within the Religious Right on
this issue? For the most part, they are silent. Why? Why are they not
crying out for Terri? Is it because their hero, G.W. Bush, is also
silent?

Where
is President Bush? Does not Terri fit into his "culture of life"
message? Where is his "compassionate conservatism" for Terri? It seems
clear to me that if anyone deserves a presidential pardon from a
potential death sentence, Terri Schiavo is that person!

I know
many millions of people are praying for Terri. Many of them have also
written emails and letters, sent faxes, made phone calls, and begged
their elected representatives to intervene. Some of us have even been
given the opportunity to plead Terri's case on national television and
radio programs.

However,
as with the Roe decision in 1973, it appears that anactivist judiciary
will once again defy the will of the citizenry and give its blessing to
the horrific killing of innocent Americans. They must assume that since
the American people have come to accept the thought of helpless, unborn
babies having their heads and limbs cut off while in the womb, we will
also come to accept the thought of helpless, handicapped adults being
allowed to starve to death while in a hospital. One can only wonder
what is next.

Chuck Baldwin is
Founder-Pastor of
Crossroads Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. In 1985 the church was
recognized by President Ronald Reagan for its unusual growth and
influence.

Dr. Baldwin is the host of a lively,
hard-hitting syndicated radio talk show on the Genesis Communications
Network called, "Chuck Baldwin Live" This is a daily, one hour long
call-in show in which Dr. Baldwin addresses current event topics from a
conservative Christian point of view. Pastor Baldwin writes weekly
articles on the internet http://www.ChuckBaldwinLive.com and
newspapers.

To learn more about his radio talk
show please visit his web site at: www.chuckbaldwinlive.com.
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